Technology Mac? 12 or 14 inch? Software?

[doctigger]

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I'm getting a laptop once financial aid comes late next month. ABC News' report that a computer virus took them and a bunch of other big companies down today puts another point in the Mac column.

I'm leaning toward the 12 or 14 inch iBook, but am thinking about PCs as well. I like the idea of the portability of the 12, but this would be my only computer and I don't want to be too limited by display size... so the 14 is rather appealing. Anybody know which PC laptops will give the same bang for the buck and quality as the mac?

Perhaps my biggest concern with the mac is software. I don't want to have to shell out a ton of money for office and other programs that I could easily get for a pc... any thoughts?

Thankx!!!!

 

[SkylineMD]

If you can "easily" get the PC software, im sure theres an "easy" waynto get the mac stuff too the same way.

If you are going to get the 14'' ibook, I would just recommend the 12'' powerbook. the powerbook 12'' has higher resolution and its even smaller than the 12'' ibook interestingly enough. The price is a little more but u get a more powerful machine. However, I have heard rumors that they are going to be updated sometime in september so maybe you want to wait for that.

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

I'd go 12" iBook over 14" iBook. You won't notice the difference in screen size, since they both have identical resolutions. The only advantages to the 14" is a slight increase in clock speed and the option of a DVD burner. Neither of which is worth it, IMO.

Furthermore, I think the 12" iBook is a better deal than the 12" Powerbook. If you really have to have the Powerbook, then wait until Apple Expo Paris (3rd week of Sept), when the Powerbook line is rumored to be upgraded.

 

[doctigger]

By "easily," that means that I have or my friends ALREADY have the software. Therefore, it is not also "easy" for me to find the mac software.

Out of the Mac line, I'm most interested in the 12" iBook at this point. Especially after I realized I can probably buy a standard VGA (pc compatible) monitor that will work with the mack for about $100, which would cover having a bigger screen when I'm at my room, the only time I really see a bigger screen making a difference. Any idea what other things are rumored to change with Mac as of Sept 25th? (other than the discontinuation of the iPod and other back-to-school deals)

The windows based systems still have me confused.

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

By "easily," that means that I have or my friends ALREADY have the software. Therefore, it is not also "easy" for me to find the mac software.

Out of the Mac line, I'm most interested in the 12" iBook at this point. Especially after I realized I can probably buy a standard VGA (pc compatible) monitor that will work with the mack for about $100, which would cover having a bigger screen when I'm at my room, the only time I really see a bigger screen making a difference. Any idea what other things are rumored to change with Mac as of Sept 25th? (other than the discontinuation of the iPod and other back-to-school deals)

The windows based systems still have me confused.

The only software you will probably end up buying is MS Office 2004, so that cost should probably be considered in your purchase. You can get buy with OpenOffice.org or Apple's iWork, but I wouldn't waste time with those at this time.

The 12" iBook can only perform monitor mirroring. It cannot perform monitor spanning.

Rumors of upcoming Mac news can be found here.

 

[doctigger]

The only software you will probably end up buying is MS Office 2004, so that cost should probably be considered in your purchase. You can get buy with OpenOffice.org or Apple's iWork, but I wouldn't waste time with those at this time.

The 12" iBook can only perform monitor mirroring. It cannot perform monitor spanning.

Rumors of upcoming Mac news can be found here.

If monitor spanning is using two monitors at the same time to show different parts of the screen, I've never used it and don't need it. If Monitor mirroring allows me to plug in my Old pc monitor, than that works.

Yeah... office is a tad spendy, but a necessity for me.

 

[tinman831]

if youre considering making a apple purchase, make sure that any software that you will be required to use is compatible on the laptop. you don't want to spend 1k for a laptop and then realize down the road that, none of the software your professors want you to use will work. the 12in ibooks and powerbooks are ultra portable, but i think the 14in ibook right now is the best value in terms of price and features. if you ever want any software (OS's or Office or what not), check out your campus bookstore. I'm sure they offer the software an a VERY GOOD discount if youre a student.

 

[mustangsally65]

First of all, Apple offers discounts to students which are very helpful. You can get Office for 99 dollars, and I think it's about 100 dollars off your computer. Right now if you buy a new computer you get a free iPod Mini or a 179 dollar credit towards the purchase of a full-size iPod.

Also, as far as I know (I've never tried this because I've never come across this problem in my 10 years as a Mac user) you can buy a software program called Virtual PC that will let you run any Windows software on your Mac, even if it says it's not compatible with Mac. I might have to ask southerndoc to double-check me on that, because I've never used the program myself.

I'd recommend a 12" computer over a 14". I have both in my family, and my mom's 14" iBook is a bit too heavy for me to carry in one hand when it's open. I worry about dropping it. However, my 12" PowerBook is easy to carry with one hand to the printer or wherever I need to take it without having to close the screen. I have no problems seeing the 12" screen, and I have both nearsightedness and a bit of astigmatism, which I wear glasses/ contacts for. I use my laptop in my lap in a recliner or at a desk, and never have a problem seeing it.

Good luck and let us know what you end up deciding! Don't forget about student discounts, all they ask you for is where you got to school and possibly your student ID card if you buy it at a store. If you buy online you don't have to give them info usually. If you have an ID card from undergrad or med school, you can get the discount even if you have graduated (just don't tell them you have graduated!).

 

[priyanka]

First of all, Apple offers discounts to students which are very helpful. You can get Office for 99 dollars, and I think it's about 100 dollars off your computer. Right now if you buy a new computer you get a free iPod Mini or a 179 dollar credit towards the purchase of a full-size iPod.

Also, as far as I know (I've never tried this because I've never come across this problem in my 10 years as a Mac user) you can buy a software program called Virtual PC that will let you run any Windows software on your Mac, even if it says it's not compatible with Mac. I might have to ask southerndoc to double-check me on that, because I've never used the program myself.

I'd recommend a 12" computer over a 14". I have both in my family, and my mom's 14" iBook is a bit too heavy for me to carry in one hand when it's open. I worry about dropping it. However, my 12" PowerBook is easy to carry with one hand to the printer or wherever I need to take it without having to close the screen. I have no problems seeing the 12" screen, and I have both nearsightedness and a bit of astigmatism, which I wear glasses/ contacts for. I use my laptop in my lap in a recliner or at a desk, and never have a problem seeing it.

Good luck and let us know what you end up deciding! Don't forget about student discounts, all they ask you for is where you got to school and possibly your student ID card if you buy it at a store. If you buy online you don't have to give them info usually. If you have an ID card from undergrad or med school, you can get the discount even if you have graduated (just don't tell them you have graduated!).

^^^ I would ditto this comment. Only extra thing I had to get was office word. which i got for 89$ from student discount!

 

[doctigger]

I looked around the mac website for Frontpage (MS Office's website development tool) and eventually had to call the help line to learn that it isn't made for mac... So I need to get Virtual PC and then I won't have to worry about it.

My biggest concern about Macs now is that I can get a PC laptop cheaper than I can get the 12" iBook, even with my student discount. (Plus I'll need an extended warranty and a printer and the such... and my computer loan only covers $1000, anything more comes out of my living expenses money, which isn't a whole lot.) Conundrum. 🙁

 

[southerndoc]

If you rely on MS Frontpage, then you will need Virtual PC.

Frontpage is limited, but I do see the utility in using it. Sometimes it's easier to use a less complicated webpage design program.

Dreamweaver and GoLive are available for Mac OS X, but these can be cumbersome to use if you are not familiar with advanced HTML techniques.

 

[doctigger]

bump

 

[Sessamoid]

For a free web authoring program, I recommend Nvu. It's based on the Mozilla code, so the rendering is quite good. The HTML it outputs isn't quite so munged up as that produced by Frontpage.

Nvu is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux.

 

[J.opt]

Why do people buy MS office for Mac? Don’t Macs come with their own version of MS Office?
I’m seriously thinking about getting the 14” iBook. Would I need to have MS Office on my iBook to be able to open Word, PowerPoint, and other files created on MS programs? Will PC users be able to open the files that I create on my Mac?
Thanks!

 

[lisat]

I made the Pc to Mac switch 3 years ago, and I don't ever want to go back. Apple give awesome student discounts of software and laptops/desktops..just remember to visit the apple education store online. I know my school allows students to get Mac software for free, so I've yet to buy any Mac software. You might want to check your school for that possibility.

Let me know if you have any apple questions! 😉

 

[mustangsally65]

Why do people buy MS office for Mac? Don’t Macs come with their own version of MS Office?
I’m seriously thinking about getting the 14” iBook. Would I need to have MS Office on my iBook to be able to open Word, PowerPoint, and other files created on MS programs? Will PC users be able to open the files that I create on my Mac?
Thanks!

Macs do come with Office, but it is a trial that I think is either 30, 60 or 90 days, I can't remember which. You can use it for that amount of time which starts from the first time you open it. iBooks also come with Apple's own version of word processing software, AppleWorks. My Powerbook that I bought a year and a half ago didn't come with AppleWorks, because it's a higher end machine and they assume you will buy Office. If you use your student discount you can get the student version of MS Office for 89 dollars, I think.

As for the compatibility issue, if you create a word processing file on a Mac in any program and save it with the extension ".doc" it will save it in a way that PC users or anyone with Word can open. If you are sent a file from a PC in a format that you don't have an application to open, your Mac will usually open it using Preview or will ask you which application you want to use to open it. Occasionally I get a file that I can't open, but if that happens someone can always send you the file as text in an email message or convert it to a format you can open.

Apple also has a new program out called iWork which includes a word processing application (Pages), and a presentation application like PowerPoint (Keynote). It is much less expensive than the full version of Office, I'm thinking 79 dollars? But I could be wrong, I haven't purchased it yet since I use AppleWorks and it works fine.

 

[southerndoc]

MS Office for the Mac is actually a great program, unlike the Windows version. What's odd is the Mac version has more features than the Windows version. Funny considering Windows is Microsoft's flagship product.

 

[evade]

I have gone through a very similar process for selecting a new computer, and I too have chosen to go with the 12" iBook. I was looking for something lightweight and portable with a long battery life; something that would be reliable as a work-only sort of machine (my games can stay on my PC), and I wanted something affordable. The iBook totally caught my eye on all these counts. I also kind of wanted to get away from PCs, as my last purchase was an utter disaster: a laptop that ran so hot it fried its own motherboard three times before someone replaced the defective cooling system, and which now has a battery that lasts less than 40 minutes, probably also as a result of running so hot. The optical drive started failing after I owned the thing for a year and a half, too, so I was more than ready to try a mac.

Before ordering, I made sure to first to call my campus's IT guy, who assured me that none of my school's software was going to be incompatible with a mac. I get my machine next week (it's in transit as I type, and I'm tracking it obsessively), and I will let you know what I think of it. 🙂

 

[J.opt]

I received my 14" iBook today. So far it looks pretty good. I just have to figure out how to copy and paste, and how to keep it clean (I've been using it for 3 hours and I'm starting to see greasy fingerprints all over; and i'm not gonna buy a keyboard protector).

Well, at least I know now how my 53-year old dad felt when he started using computers a couple years ago 🙄

 

[doctigger]

I expect to buy a notebook in about a week, whenever my finaid comes in. Unfortunately I feel that I have to stick with PC's right now. I need to maintain my dad's frontpage website (I don't want to learn a new program and I would have to buy Virtual PC which costs a bunch and I've heard it slows the mac down cause it's like having to run windows while running the mac os).

That and having to find software... I already have the software for PC's... anybody have a good PC brand recommendation (I'm going to spend less than $1000)

 

[Sessamoid]

I received my 14" iBook today. So far it looks pretty good. I just have to figure out how to copy and paste, and how to keep it clean (I've been using it for 3 hours and I'm starting to see greasy fingerprints all over; and i'm not gonna buy a keyboard protector).

Well, at least I know now how my 53-year old dad felt when he started using computers a couple years ago 🙄

Cut and paste is pretty much the same. The keyboard shortcut uses the "Command" key modifier instead of the "Control" key. Other than that, it's the same. Cmd-X for cut, cmd-c for copy, cmd-v for paste. It's in the "Edit" menu just like in MS-Windows.

The most stark difference in the UIs is that in most cases, closing a program's window doesn't close the program itself. Cmd-w closes the current window, Cmd-Q quits the program. Cmd-t opens a new tab in Safari. Cmd-L goes to the address bar in Safari.

One thing that you don't have in Windows is text clippings. Say for instance, you want to save a section of text for use later, not to be immediately copied somewhere else. Just highlight the text you want to save, then drag and drop it to the desktop (or whereever you want). You'll see a little text-clipping icon there. When you want to use it, just drag and drop it where you want to put it.

 

[Sessamoid]

MS Office for the Mac is actually a great program, unlike the Windows version. What's odd is the Mac version has more features than the Windows version. Funny considering Windows is Microsoft's flagship product.

Word was originally a Mac product, later ported to Windows. Excel as well, IIRC. They are currently developed by completely different teams. They only have relative feature parity and common file formats.

For office suites, I'm using the free NeoOffice/J, which is good enough for my needs. It opens Microsoft Office documents just fine unless you're using some pretty heavy scripting. Even with some Excel scripts, it seems to work just fine.

 

[Sessamoid]

I expect to buy a notebook in about a week, whenever my finaid comes in. Unfortunately I feel that I have to stick with PC's right now. I need to maintain my dad's frontpage website (I don't want to learn a new program and I would have to buy Virtual PC which costs a bunch and I've heard it slows the mac down cause it's like having to run windows while running the mac os).

That and having to find software... I already have the software for PC's... anybody have a good PC brand recommendation (I'm going to spend less than $1000)

Lenovo (formerly IBM) probably has the best reputation among PC notebook manufacturers. Panasonic toughbooks are good too. Both are at/above your price limit though. Or you could do like the rest of the world and buy a Dell. Sony's look nice and work well, but god save you if you need help from Sony support. Ditto on Toshiba.

Acer seems to do okay in reviews and customer satisfaction. There's another new name that escapes me that seems to be doing well in reviews and satisfaction ratings.

 

[nebrfan]

How well will VirtualPC run on an iBook? I used to have a mac (G3 days) and found early versions of VirtualPC to be clunky and rather slow...I'm hoping that it has improved somewhat since then??

 

[southerndoc]

How well will VirtualPC run on an iBook? I used to have a mac (G3 days) and found early versions of VirtualPC to be clunky and rather slow...I'm hoping that it has improved somewhat since then??

It's still slow. That's what happens when you try to run one OS emulated under another. The same would happen if MacOS X was available for Windows. It would also be slow.

The G4's are faster, but Virtual PC is still slow when compared to Windows computers at similar speeds.

 

[nebrfan]

It's still slow. That's what happens when you try to run one OS emulated under another. The same would happen if MacOS X was available for Windows. It would also be slow.

The G4's are faster, but Virtual PC is still slow when compared to Windows computers at similar speeds.

Well yeah - I understand the concept behind emulation. I guess I should have asked the question differently - is VirtualPC on a 1.3-1.5ghz G4 useable?

 

[J.opt]

I got Virtual Office when I bought Office for Mac, but I haven’t had the need to install VO yet. What can you open with Virtual Office that you are not able to open without it? (I bought it just in case; it was $14 for both at the school computer store).

 

[southerndoc]

What is Virtual Office?

Microsoft Office is written natively in Mac OS X.

 

[Sessamoid]

Well yeah - I understand the concept behind emulation. I guess I should have asked the question differently - is VirtualPC on a 1.3-1.5ghz G4 useable?

Quite usable. Not blindingly fast, but fine for anything aside from media-intensive applications. My brother uses it to play online poker on his aluminum Powerbook without any speed problems.